Making an investment with an LED Display can be challenging. Unfortunately, the process is made more difficult when a company only focuses on their selling points but fails to be transparent and deliver the whole truth. Let’s look at some industry ‘standards’ and the questions which should help make things a bit clearer.
Power
LEDs themselves don’t use a lot of power, but when you have a display with thousands of LEDs, power supplies, and control elements – that all adds up. Some manufacturers will claim to be ‘energy efficient’ but they don’t really compare to others. Ask to see what the requirements are for the display at maximum and compare power cost between the options given. You may find an ‘energy efficient’ display can cost you hundreds or thousands more to operate and own over time.
LED Sign Warranty
The industry ‘standard’ is about 5 years for parts only. Check to see if the manufacturer has an option for on-site service. Is that ‘option’ standard and if it’s not offered on all systems, why not? What percentage of displays sold in the last 10 years include on-site service and what system is in place to ensure timely service on requests? If the manufacturer has a 5 year parts-only warranty, what are the cost of components in year 6, 7, and beyond?
Size matters
Some manufacturers use an older form factor which has borders around the active display. When you’re getting a quote for something like a 4′ high x 8′ wide display, ask what the actual active display area is. You may find you’re getting a quote for a display that’s actually 3′ -5″ x 7′ -3″ vs closer to the actual size requested. This can mean several thousand fewer pixels for your system and the pixel count makes a difference with image quality.
Content creation
How easy is it to create content with the display and do they include custom content creation services for the first year? Stock content is great, but you aren’t getting an LED display to look like everyone else – you want to stand out and showcase your unique selling points.
Custom content packages are a must have at the start, but they can be expensive (at $4,000+ for a basic set of 10-12 messages). See if the company includes custom content to help ensure the display looks its best while you learn how to make great content yourself.
Don’t accept the ‘basic facts’ – ask questions, dig deeper on ALL the specifications and system information so you get the whole story on your options so and don’t end up putting a lot of money towards a system only to find you weren’t given the whole truth at the start.